Fairground romance still strong after 60 years

A romance that began on the bumper cars in a fairground is still going strong 60 years on - with the blessing of the Queen herself.

Raymond Poore, 82 and his wife Lilian, 84, of Birch Grove, Slough, have just celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary and received the traditional message of congratulation from the Queen in the month where she celebrated her own platinum anniversary.

Lifelong Slough man Mr Poore was in the Air Force when he and his mate met the future Mrs Poore and her friend at a fairground in Ripon, Yorkshire near where he was stationed.

Mrs Poore remembers the day at the fair well. She said: "I was there with my friend. We became aware of two young men carrying coconuts they had won. My friend was always more outgoing than me and said 'can we have one of your coconuts'. They said 'no'."

It ended with the two couples charging each other in their bumper cars. Two years later Raymond and Lilian became Mr and Mrs Poore.

Early married life involved a move to Singapore where the Air Force sent Mr Poore to work as an electrician looking after aircraft. After leaving the services he worked on Slough Trading Estate, before making a successful career as a sales engineer with the motor manufacturing company Klockner-Moeller.

The couple had two children Dean - who now lives in Australia - and Sharon.

Lilian said: "I had Dean the day Kennedy was shot and half came round after a Caesarian to hear nurses talking about it.

"I told them 'a great man died today and a great man was born today."

Dean inherited his dad's technical skill and now makes state of the art bedside monitors for hospital beds in Auatralia.

Mr and Mrs Poore have five grandchildren.

On display in their house are numerous intricate drawings done by Mr Poore of cathedrals he and Lilian have visited.

They include St Peter's Basilica in Rome, Notre Dame in Paris as well as Ripon Cathedral from Mrs Poore's home town.

Ipsoregulated

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here